When works meet Grace

Having filled their stomachs with the miracle of a timely lunch, those seeking to make Jesus "king", lose track of him, only to find him again in Capernaum. Their need to be filled has not waned, nor has their ignorance about the necessity of faith and its incompatibility with works.

When Dr. Luke undertakes part 2 of his gospel narrative in the book of Acts,  by describing the birth of the New Testament assembly, and it's subsequent development, he provides a synopsis of Peter's first sermon and the initial responses of its hearers. It is interesting to note that the crowd's response to this sermon, is "what shall we do?". Later in Acts 16, when Paul and Silas are jailed for their Macedonian evangelistic efforts, the two find themselves miraculously freed from their cells, only to encounter the guard of the prison who is preparing to kill himself rather than face the consequences of escaped prisoners. When he discovers that his prisoners are still in their cell, he takes them home, cleans them up and is then confronted with the Gospel message. His response is similar, "What must I do to be saved?"

Text: John 6:22-34

When those searching for Jesus finally locate him, I think their interest in making him king remains. At the moment, he is still held in high esteem. But is it him, or merely that they have been fed and their bellies are full? In fact, Jesus suggests as much, by pointing out that their interest in Him in driven only by their desire to have their stomachs filled. In fact, the word, for "filled" suggests the meaning of a cow, who eats and eats, without concern for where it came from or any thanks due. 

Jesus commends them to the real "meat" worth seeking-- that which leads to eternal life, and that which can alone be found in their "belief" in him. ( John's language for trusting in the person of Jesus Christ.). And they understand "labor" (works) well enough (6:28). But "working" for their salvation is not compatible with living by Faith.  According to Wescott, " this simple formula contains the complete solution of the relation of faith and works." 

But if that's not enough, these seekers, then ask for a sign. They apparently have forgotten the most recent miracle that filled their bellies and assured them that they should continue to pursue him to be their king. They counter with the assumption that Moses provided a daily supply of food for them and why should anything now be different? In fact, according to the Rabbis, this was the national expectation of a "greater" Moses. 

But to Jesus, their is something more important than physical food. In fact, Chrysostom noted that "manna gave them nourishment, but not life." They desire that Jesus become the "New Moses" but fail to see the end of Moses' own expectations. They, like the woman in the previous chapter (4), desire a never ending flow of what Jesus has described as life-giving. These guys say, " ever give us more bread (34). 

What should we do with all of this?

At the end of the day, we each must decide for ourselves, just who are we trusting for our salvation? If it is anything but the person and work of Jesus, we should re-evaluate our relationship with the savior, cast off any works as useless, and trust his finished work on the cross. 

MJC

Supplemental: 

We examined a greater list for the name of God used in the Bible. If nothing else, this provides us a basis for a recognition that our God is worthy of our interest and attention. 

Finally, you might find this to be valuable homework: In the quietness of your own study, identify the following:

My greatest joy in Christ is...

I stand amazed at God at this moment because...

My greatest need today is...

And with that, we re-enter the life quest again...